The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Diascia, botanically known as Diascia barberae, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Dala Rossa’. The new cultivar originated from a hybridization made in 2002 in Andijk, The Netherlands. The female parent is a proprietary Diascia plant designated ‘DSY-3-1’ (unpatented), having pink flowers and the male parent is a proprietary Diascia plant designated ‘DSY-18-1’ (unpatented), having a deep rose flower color. The seeds produced by the hybridization were sown in November 2002, and the resulting seedlings were selected in February 2003. A single plant selection was chosen for further evaluation and for asexual propagation in the summer of 2003.
The new cultivar was created in 2002 in Andijk, The Netherlands and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture micropropagation in Andijk, The Netherlands over a two-year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif., and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar were applied for in Europe on Jan. 24, 2005 and in Canada on Mar. 31, 2005.